Intertwining of Cellular Osmotic Stress Handling Mechanisms and Heavy Metal Accumulation.

Osmoregulation mechanisms are engaged in the detoxification and accumulation of heavy metals in plants, microalgae and other microorganisms. The present review paper analyzes osmotic resistance organisms and their heavy metal accumulation mechanisms closely related to osmoregulation. In prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms, such as the green algae-like protist Euglena, osmotic and heavy metal stresses share similar cell responses and mechanisms.

Food-grade titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles induce toxicity and cardiac damage after oral exposure in rats.

Background: Metallic nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used as food additives for human consumption. NPs reach the bloodstream given their small size, getting in contact with all body organs and cells. NPs have adverse effects on the respiratory and intestinal tract; however, few studies have focused on the toxic consequences of orally ingested metallic NPs on the cardiovascular system.

Euglena International Network (EIN): Driving euglenoid biotechnology for the benefit of a challenged world.

Euglenoids (Euglenida) are unicellular flagellates possessing exceptionally wide geographical and ecological distribution. Euglenoids combine a biotechnological potential with a unique position in the eukaryotic tree of life. In large part these microbes owe this success to diverse genetics including secondary endosymbiosis and likely additional sources of genes.

Cultivation of gastrointestinal microbiota in a new growth system revealed dysbiosis and metabolic disruptions in carcinoma-bearing rats.

A challenge in the study of gastrointestinal microbiota (GITm) is the validation of the genomic data with metabolic studies of the microbial communities to understand how the microbial networks work during health and sickness. To gain insights into the metabolism of the GITm, feces from healthy and sick rats with cancer were inoculated in a defined synthetic medium directed for anaerobic prokaryote growth (INC-07 medium). Significant differences between cultures of healthy and sick individuals were found: 1) the consumption of the carbon source and the enzyme activity involved in their catabolism (e.

A novel way to synthesize pantothenate in bacteria involves β-alanine synthase present in uracil degradation pathway.

Pantothenate is an indispensable vitamin precursor of the synthesis of coenzyme A (CoA), a key metabolite required in over 100 metabolic reactions. β-Alanine (β-ala) is an indispensable component of pantothenate. Due to the metabolic relevance of this pathway, we assumed that orthologous genes for ß-alanine synthesis would be present in the genomes of bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes.

Resveratrol inhibits cancer cell proliferation by impairing oxidative phosphorylation and inducing oxidative stress.

The resveratrol (RSV) efficacy to affect the proliferation of several cancer cell lines was initially examined. RSV showed higher potency to decrease growth of metastatic HeLa and MDA-MB-231 (IC = 200-250 μM) cells than of low metastatic MCF-7, SiHa and A549 (IC = 400-500 μM) and non-cancer HUVEC and 3T3 (IC≥600 μM) cells after 48 h exposure. In order to elucidate the biochemical mechanisms underlying RSV anti-cancer effects, the energy metabolic pathways and the oxidative stress metabolism were analyzed in HeLa cells as metastatic-type cell model.

Bio-recovery of non-essential heavy metals by intra- and extracellular mechanisms in free-living microorganisms.

Free-living microorganisms may become suitable models for recovery of non-essential and essential heavy metals from wastewater bodies and soils by using and enhancing their accumulating and/or leaching abilities. This review analyzes the variety of different mechanisms developed mainly in bacteria, protists and microalgae to accumulate heavy metals, being the most relevant those involving phytochelatin and metallothionein biosyntheses; phosphate/polyphosphate metabolism; compartmentalization of heavy metal-complexes into vacuoles, chloroplasts and mitochondria; and secretion of malate and other organic acids. Cyanide biosynthesis for extra-cellular heavy metal bioleaching is also examined.